'He forcefully slammed her wrist down upon the table and gazed at the mark. "Do you know what this mark means?" She swallowed hard and though his eyes were covered by the hood, she felt his cold, angry glare focused on her. "Should anyone find out that you bare this mark," his voice rolled into a tone only she could hear, "you will be executed." ' Sixteen-year-old Maya Olden is a virgin maiden and soon to be a bride-to-be to one of two young men about to become chieftain of their villages. She's not happy about it though, seeing it as only another boring life. Plus, her heart as already secretly been taken by a childhood friend, though she fears her father won't approve of their love. But when she follows some boys into the ruins of Menhura, she invokes a mysterious ritual and brings something back into the world that's label as an enemy to the human race. Forced to hide what's she done, she must now find a way to undo it in order to avoid an ill-ending fate. With a dangerous journey lying ahead of her, Maya must embark on a path that'll strip away everything she knew of the world and reveal the cold hard truth. And she'll learn that fate cannot be avoided forever.